Along with the apparent Mini PCI-E SSD, Apple introduced another storage feature with the late-2010 MacBook Air: The Software Reinstall Drive. Although not mentioned in the product introduction, the read-only USB drive is a clever solution for a device with no optical drive. Here’s what I’ve discovered about it so far.
Everything
Unconventional SSDs: PCI Express Mini Card (Mini PCI-E)
With Apple almost certain to introduce a new MacBook Air, questions have turned to the specifics of the hardware to be used. A leaked pre-production photo features an odd memory configuration (not to mention four batteries), a device I immediately recognized as an SSD-on-a-stick. With this high-profile introduction of a new SSD stick form, I thought it was time to cover these unconventional new storage formats.
Back From the Pile: Interesting Links, October 19, 2010
This regular series features highlights from the week. I’ve been focused on the rumored acquisitions of EMC, Isilon, and the rest, as well as the release of a super-sized hard disk drive.
Will OS X 10.7 “Lion” Bring USB 3.0 To The Mac?
Apple is a funny company, happy to go their own way even as the rest of the industry piles on to the latest trend. Such is the case with storage, with Apple ditching floppy drives, optical drives, and even hard disks. On the expansion side, Apple was an early and aggressive proponent of USB but stubbornly ignored eSATA. Now that PC makers are turning to USB 3.0, many are wondering when Apple will follow suit. My sources tell me that “Super Speed” USB 3.0 is indeed coming to the Mac, and very soon!
Seagate Breaks the Areal Density Limit With 1 TB 2 Platter 2.5″ Drive
Storage capacity continues to move forward on both 3.5″ and 2.5″ hard disk drives. On the small form factor side, Western Digital was first with a 250 GB platter, then Seagate shot back with a 320 GB platter, then it was Hitachi at 375 GB. So it was only a matter of time until the magical half-terabyte mark would be reached, yielding 1 TB in a 2-platter drive. Now Seagate has done it, shipping a 2-platter 9.5 mm hard disk drive in their latest GoFlex portable case.